Ladies, I’ve just returned from one of the dudeliest places on earth: the 113th annual Cheyenne Frontier Days, the world-famous week-long rodeo and festival of Western culture known as “The Daddy of ‘Em All.” It’s absolute cowboy heaven–and I mean genuine, Wrangler-wearing, square-jawed, professional cowboys with big belt buckles. It’s some serious manly man stuff, but while the testosterone is so thick you could cut it with a bullwhip, rodeo culture has never raised my hackles at all–quite the opposite.

For starters, Cheyenne, Wyoming should be a feminist place of pilgrimage. It was the place where American women were first given the vote, in 1869, more than 50 years before the 19th Amendment, and where, in 1924, America’s first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, was sworn in. The state’s motto–printed on their flag–is “Equal Rights.” That pioneer culture was way ahead of the curve when it came to recognizing women’s contributions and giving them equal political standing (Wyoming was also the first state to have female jurors and court baliffs–in 1870).

And at every rodeo I’ve attended, cowgirls are celebrated right along with cowboys. While women don’t ride bulls, they are often outriders and steer wranglers, which requires great skill and true grit (try spending hours on a horse in the hot sun, chasing down and roping runaway steer and broncos). MamaSharper and I have often remarked on how un-misogynist the PBR and professional cowboys are, especially when compared to, say, the misogynist cesspit that is the NFL or NBA. It’s counterintuitive given how testosteronally charged cowboying is. But the women are getting it done alongside the men, and no one messes with the cowgirls.

But yes, the cowboys are delicious, even if it’s sexist and objectifying of me to say so. They just look so good in those Wranglers and hats, and they are unbelievably strong and athletic. If you’ve never been to a serious rodeo, believe me when I say that you will probably never see more spectacular live displays of athleticism unless you get tickets to the Olympics. Like this::

Cowboy on bucking bronc.

Or this:

Cowboy coming off the bull at the end of his 8 seconds, with the bullfighters coming in to distract the bull so the cowboy can make a getaway.

Horse-lovers like me also love being in a venue with over 1,000 beautiful saddle-horses. Out on the rodeo grounds, it’s horses as far as the eye can see. I also love how, since they’re in such great numbers, they revert to instinctive horsey behavior, including self-herding. Here’s a bunch that were just standing in a close nose-to-nose huddle for no other reason than that’s what herd animals like to do.

Gratuitous horse booty shot!

The bulls, while ferocious for their eight seconds in the ring, spend the rest of the time eating and hanging out in the mud with other bulls like this:

O hai.

Anyway, I am back in New York now, where the only livestock wrangling I’ll be doing is walking my neighbor’s pit bull while she’s out of town. MamaSharper and I had a blast–again–and are already booking tickets for next year’s Frontier Days. Feel free to saddle up and join us for a couple days of true grit, hot cowboys and Western-style feminism.

20 Responses to “I Can Haz Cowboys?”

Cowboy, take me away! I didn’t marry a cowboy, but I did find me a western mountain man, and I think he’s the best! I’m jealous of all the horse fun you got to have. And maybe inspired to get more serious about getting back into riding, which I really enjoyed when I was a teen. My SIL sent me an ADORABLE picture of my 3 year old niece on a horse the other day. Apparently she’s discovered horses and loves them and is itching to ride. I noted to my hubs that Aunt Sarah really needs to get Kenzie into an English saddle and he was like, uh, it’s the west, cowgirls are way cooler.

@funnyface: I tried a Western saddle for the first time last year, and it’s like riding in a LaZ Boy. WAY more comfortable than an English saddle, especially for riding at a gallop or for long distances. But I couldn’t get used to holding the reins in one hand, Western-style. I was like “uh, what do I do with my free hand?” I needed a rifle or a lasso or something.

On the other hand, try living here fulltime. The whole “domination of nature” thing gets to be a bit much for me, and the construction of masculinity in cowboy country loses it’s charm when you can’t escape it. Of course, I’m in Laramie, which is a college town, rather than Cheyenne, so that tempers it a bit. But there’s still a good bit of misogyny in the cowboy culture around here. Saturday was also the official Day of the Cowboy, which prompted me to write this post about cowboy culture in Wyoming.

Ironically, I spent the day of the cowboy drinking coffee with friends, biking with my kids, working at the local co-op, and then hiking. So apparently living in cowboy country has yet to take the Seattle out of me.

@Rachel: That’s an excellent piece. Kudos. I’m sure you’re right about living there…the constant driving and the lack of urbanity alone would make me nuts in the long run. And you’re absolutely right about the hypermasculinity of the cowboy culture–and the attendant homophobia–can definitely go in the wrong direction (RIP Matthew Shepard).

What I like is that the cowboy/Western libertarian culture usually lacks the “girlz suck” pathology that goes hand-in-hand with other macho cultural attitudes. You don’t see many examples in American culture where women are encouraged and celebrated for being tough, physical, assertive and in-charge, but cowgirls are the exception.

frontier days is an event that i think everyone should attend once in their lives. having recently moved out to Colorado I had zero experience with cowboy culture. so when i attended this years event, i felt a little bit like a fish out of water (i was also wearing moccasins in a sea of cowboy boots) but the very nature of that fish out of watered-ness allowed me to learn so much from the people there about the culture and history of cowboys in America. and even for those of you who, like me, get annoyed, irritated and slightly panicky at large events (sporting, carnivals etc) with droves of people drinking and celebrating its really the perfect place to go since most of the people are courteous and well mannered even when its pouring rain and they’ve been sipping on beers since noon. never experienced anything like it.

What I like is that the cowboy/Western libertarian culture usually lacks the “girlz suck” pathology that goes hand-in-hand with other macho cultural attitudes.

This is true. And in fact, the women’s rodeo team here on campus actually outperforms the men’s team in competitions, and gets a lot of attention and support, unlike many of the women’s teams in other sports. The only downside to it is the clear expectation that the women will sort of give all of this up upon graduating, getting married, and having kids. The strength of the heteronormative model here doesn’t leave much room to challenge that. And unfortunately it also doesn’t extend to other areas. My neighbors here are endlessly horrified that I change my own oil, and cannot comprehend why I would be doing it when there is in fact a man around who’s usually watching the kids or doing the dishes while I change the oil. And forget trying to explain to them that I’m better at mechanical stuff than he is…

Yeah, see, there’s a reason “goatroper” is an insult to cowboys: because you’re calling him a woman or a kid. In a lot of rodeos women aren’t allowed to rope calves, instead have to rope goats…

Living in it is an entirely different experience from swooping in for a visit. Trust me. I spent years both in Idaho and in Ellensburg, WA (Ellensburg Rodeo is second only to the Calgary Stampede for size and importance on the circuit: The Greatest Show on Dirt).

I will say that I did date a bullrider my sophomore year of high school. My high school in Idaho had a rodeo team, and he lettered in bullriding. He asked me out by roping me in the school parking lot from the bed of his buddies truck as it drove by. Thank gods he knew what he was doing and I didn’t get dragged.

@Geekgirls: At CFD I saw more than one woman chasing down and lassoing the calves after the steer wrestling and roping events. Maybe they got their start on goats–the way bull and bronc riders start out mutton-busting on sheep when they’re kids–but these women really knew what they were doing.

MamaSharper and I are strongly considering going to Ellensburg next year–she lives in Seattle so it’s a fairly easy road trip. Do you recommend it?

I love that story about your bullriding boyfriend (thank God he was a good roper, though). That beats the hell out of Lloyd Dobler and his boom box, IMO.

They must grow ‘em different out west, because I went to HS (in a midwest state, but below the Mason-Dixon line) with a number of guys who did the rodeo circuit, and they were, to a one, the biggest jackasses I knew at the time. Proudly ignorant, crude (chewing tobacco IN SCHOOL?), and fake-polite to women–teachers and fellow students alike. It was all “yes ma’am” until your back was turned, then “…cunt.”

That experience, and my discomfort with using animals for sport, makes me think that I’ll leave rodeo to you. But when I waited tables, the cowboys in town for the rodeo were the best tippers. Although who knows what they were saying as I walked away.

Interesting takes on the cowboy–I loved Wyoming as a tourist. I have to say though, and I know I have been influenced by the last many many years of politics, and this is a sweeping generalization if there is one: I will take the Wyoming Cowboy over the Texas Cowboy ANY DAY. I freely admit this is not based on my own personal research of the Texas region whatsoever, my apologies to the wonderful tradition of Texas feminists. I am just so glad that TEXAS as a metaphor is out of our national consciousness. Okay then ! Back to cute boys in Wranglers!!

I’ve lived in both Texas and Wyoming (which I choose to interpret as straight-up irony on the part of Fate) and I would agree that the Wyoming cowboy is preferable. I was rarely ever called by my name the whole 8 months I lived in TX. It was either sweet thang, darlin, or uppity bitch. Also, there’s a marked lack of enthusiasm for the death penalty and harsh correctional policies in general here as compared to TX, which may inform my general feeling about it all.

@BeckySharper
From what I hear from rodeo aficionados, E-burg really is a good rodeo. Mostly I just fled town, as it brought with it hugely crowded restaurants, bars, too many cars, tourists and I lived close enough to the fairgrounds that I could hear the concerts from my bedroom with the window closed.

Pat, the cowboy, was a good guy. A little intense with the chivalry of the “old west” thing, but a good guy. Very sweet.

@mischiefmanager: Cheyenne has very strict standards when it comes to animal handling. They’ve banned the use of hotshots, electric spurs and cattle prods, and the animals are housed and cared for by teams of livestock specialists, including a staff of large-animal vets. Those animals are infinitely better treated than the animales that wind up in Temple Grandin-designed slaughter chutes.

That’s for sure. But still, can something like roping ever be humane? I know it doesn’t hurt them but it seems to frighten them pretty seriously, and it seems unnecessary to do that just for our amusement. I will say I’ve never been to a rodeo, though, so maybe it’s not as hard on the animals as it looks.

Have you read Grandin’s newest book, “Animals Make Us Human”? She’s amazing. She makes you look at animals,especially the ones who live with us, in a whole different way.

The roping or wrestling probably does frighten the calves, but the skill is very important for working cowboys and their stock–if you have a calf that’s injured or sick, the only way you can treat it is to rope and tie it. So while it’s become a sport, most of the men who practice it are working stock handlers who perfected it by doing it on the job where it was in the animal’s best interest.

As for things like bull/bronc riding, I don’t think that harms the animals at all, provided they’re not prodded or jabbed with electricity. It’s not frightening–it’s more of an irritation. Having a 170-lb human jump on a 1,000 lb horse or a 2,000 bull is like having a squirrel or a cat jump on you for 8 seconds until you shake it off.

I’m a big fan of Temple Grandin, and I’m grateful for her work, because while I’m a meat-eater and I do think that animals have their place in the human food chain, I certainly don’t want them to suffer.

@Becky – I LOVE the Ellensburg Rodeo! Not only did I grow up in Seattle, my mother took us every year to the rodeo. She even rode in the parade one year as a political candidate (best rodeo parade ever, in my opinion). And GeekGirlsRule is right – it’s second only to Calgary, and very much worth going to.
Now that I live in Tucson, our Rodeo Days here (for which the whole city gets two days off) are taken very seriously. It’s a fantastic rodeo especially because it’s in February and all the circuit cowboys/gals come here because it’s winter everywhere else. I’ve been very impressed with the quality of the riding and the livestock, both.

And as a side note, I gotta say that I think people give Temple Grandin too much credit. I’m not a huge fan.

It’s true, I loved the whole scene – both the athleticism and the culture! The language, celebrations, values, iconic figures and unique sport make for an intriguing cultural study. It just makes you want to yell, ya-hoo!

@BeckySharper: I take your point. I was at a nature park a couple of weeks ago and one of the workers had to throw a sort of lasso around the leg of one of the ducks, which was limping, and drag it over. People who saw it looked shocked, but I don’t think the duck would have responded to a polite request.

@Elibard: At the risk of threadjacking, why aren’t you a fan of Grandin’s?